I am so excited for the chance to share a New DIY with you today! You know when you have a picture in your head of how something will turn out and then it turns out EXACTLY that way? Well, this is that project for me. Plus it was SO EASY! (Sorry, I’ll stop yelling now… just a little excited!) This is the perfect time of year to get organized, and organizing for me means new cute baskets to put things in! For that reason I created a laundry basket Tutorial for you today. It’s a quick and simple project, perfect for even the most timid seamstress.

YOU WILL NEED:

Metal mesh (cell 2 x 2 cm) – 110 cm x 55 cm Gray linen or burlap (length) – 102 cm x 62 cm + circle 32 cm. diameter. White linen (length) – 102 cm/65 cm + circle 32 cm. diameter. Cardboard circles 32 cm. diameter. 2 White linen circles 32 cm. diameter. Sewing machine Threads and a needle Nippers Wire Pliers Scissors Fabric ink pen Sewing materials Stencil with an inscription

INSTRUCTIONS:

The hardest part of this whole tutorial is going to be finding a spring form to use. I found a Metal mesh at local store. I also noticed that IKEA sells spring buckets for about the same cost. I haven’t used the IKEA one, but my gut instinct says they would work. Our finished project will have the Metal mesh fully encased and the seams tidy. It’s accomplished without any handstitching too!

This project definitely requires some cultivation of skill, but once you get into the swing of it, it is doable! Be sure to wear hefty gloves so you don’t get cuts and scrapes! Unroll a length of the welded wire and cut the length of the wire using the wire cutters, making sure to leave a little a bit of extra that will overlap the opposite side. Snip any extra wire and make sure you don’t have any sharp ends sticking out. Wrap the 10 gage wire, weaving in and out between the squares. Once all the way around, twist the ends together to secure and snip the wire.

First, using a tape measurement write down the height and circumference of the finished bucket. My bucket was 55 сm. tall and roughly 1 meter around in this example. Next, we want to cut the outer fabric and lining pieces accounting for seam allowances. Then, we need to cut out the bottom of the fabric which is a circle – 32 cm. diameter. We now have cut our outer fabric, lining fabric and base. We have all of the parts that we need and are ready to start sewing.

Fold the outer fabric in half so that the short sides meet and the right sides of the fabric are face to face. Do not press the center fold. Repeat with the White linen fabric. Sew the short edges of the outer fabric to create a tube. Repeat with the White linen fabric. Next we attach the bucket base to the outer shell. Take your time with this to make sure the edges line up and there are no unusual folds or creases in the outer fabric. It’s important that the outer shell fabric sits perfectly smooth since it will be visible. Sew the outer shell to the bucket base with a 1,5cm. seam. Trim away any excess bucket base that is showing or fraying (if it’s linen). Once you’ve sewn the base, flip your bucket right side out, and repeat the above steps to sew the lining. You’ll get a vague idea of what the outside of your bucket will look like. But don’t expect much at this stage… It won’t look right until it’s all finished.

Leave the lining inside out, and slip the outer bucket piece into the lining piece (the right sides of your fabrics will be facing). Align the top edge and pin along the perimeter. Sew along this edge, leaving a space about 5cm. long open for turning. Pull your bag through this opening and fit the lining into the main bag. Iron this top edge, tucking the open edge down. Topstitch along this edge, closing the opening at the same time. Fold down the top edge so you get a peek at the lining.

Start by creating a cardboard base. Trace the bottom of the bucket onto cardboard. Cut out the base – 32 cm. diameter.

Place it on your fabric, and draw a circle with a 1,5cm. seam.. Cut the fabric. We need 2 White linen circles.

You could cut out handles, you could attach a wire handle, or a rope handle. You are only limited by your imagination. Personally I love the look of a fabric handle on baskets and bins, and to make my own required a bit of linen fabric and 5 minutes! To do this, cut out a strip (25 x 10 cm) from the fabric. Follow the pictured instructions: